Effects of β-sitosterol on the function of synovial fibroblasts in rheumatoid arthritis and its mechanism / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of β-sitosterol on the function of rheumatoid arthritis （RA） fibroblastic synoviocytes MH7A cells and its mechanism. METHODS Network pharmacology was adopted to screen the targets of β-sitosterol and the targets for the treatment of RA. After the intersection of them， topological analysis was performed to find the most critical target in the treatment of RA. MH7A cells were treated with different concentrations （0， 5， 10， 20， 40 μmol/L） of β-sitosterol， and CCK-8 was used to assay cell viability for screening the optimal concentration of β-sitosterol. MH7A cells were induced by 10 ng/mL TNF-α in vitro and treated with β-sitosterol （the optimum concentration）. CCK-8 and EdU were used to detect the ability of cell proliferation. Scratch experiment and Transwell invasion assay were used to analyze cell migration and invasion. The levels of interleukin-1β （IL-1β） and IL-6 in cell supernatant were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The mRNA and protein expressions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α （PPARα） were measured by qRT-PCR and Western blot， respectively. The siRNA targeting PPARα was transfected into MH7A cells， and the effects of β-sitosterol on cell proliferation， migration， invasion， the secretion of inflammatory factors and the expression of PPARα after PPARα knockdown were detected by the above experimental methods. RESULTS PPARα was the most critical target of β-sitosterol in the treatment of RA. The optimal concentration of β-sitosterol was 20 μmol/L. Compared with model group， β-sitosterol decreased the viability of MH7A cells， and the number of proliferating cells also decreased significantly （P＜0.05）； the cell migration rate and the number of cell invasion decreased significantly （P＜0.05）. The levels of IL-1β and IL-6 were also significantly decreased （P＜0.05）， and the mRNA 15 and protein expression levels of PPARα were significantly increased （P＜0.05）. Compared with negative control small interfering RNA group， after PPARα knockdown， the cell viability increased by about 35.6% （P＜0.05）， the number of cell proliferation， the cell migration rate and the number of cell invasion increased significantly （P＜0.05）， and the levels of IL-1β and IL-6 also increased significantly （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS β-sitosterol could effectively inhibit the proliferation， migration， invasion and secretion of inflammatory factors in MH7A cells， the mechanism of which may be associated with activating PPARα pathway.

Sequoiaflavone inhibits stem cell properties such as proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer cells by down-regulating PI3K/AKT signaling pathway / 中国临床药理学与治疗学

AIM: To explore the molecular mechanism of sequoiaflavone affecting gastric cancer cells. MEHTODS: Gastric cancer cell line AGS cells were treated with gradient concentrations of sequoiaflavone, and then induced by PI3K/AKT signaling pathway activator. The optimal inhibitory concentration and time of semi-inhibitory concentration of red cedar flavonoid on AGS cells were detected by CCK-8, and the changes of cell proliferation, migration and invasion ability were detected by colony formation assay, transwell assay and wound healing assay. PI3K/AKT signal pathway related proteins p-PI3K, PI3K, p-AKT and AKT were detected by western blot. RESULTS: Sequoiaflavone inhibited AGS cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The half inhibitory concentration was 0.5 mmol/L, the optimal treatment time was 48 h. The protein expression of p-PI3K and p-AKT was down regulated. The proliferation, migration and invasion of AGS cells were decreased after treated with sequoiaflavone. After treated with PI3K / AKT signal pathway activator, the protein expression level of pPI3K and p-AKT was partially reversed, and the ability of cell viability, proliferation, migration and invasion was also partially improved. CONCLUSION: Inactivation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway caused by sequoiaflavone inhibited gastric cancer cells proliferation, migration and invasion ability.

Aerosolized Ad5-nCoV booster vaccination elicited potent immune response against the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant after inactivated COVID-19 vaccine priming

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant has become the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant around the world and exhibits immune escape to current COVID-19 vaccines to some extent due to its numerous spike mutations. Here, we evaluated the immune responses to booster vaccination with intramuscular adenovirus-vectored vaccine (Ad5-nCoV), aerosolized Ad5-nCoV, a recombinant protein subunit vaccine (ZF2001) or homologous inactivated vaccine (CoronaVac) in those who received two doses of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines 6 months prior. We found that the Ad5-nCoV booster induced potent neutralizing activity against the wild-type virus and Omicron variant, while aerosolized Ad5-nCoV generated the greatest neutralizing antibody responses against the Omicron variant at day 28 after booster vaccination, at 14.1-fold that of CoronaVac, 5.6-fold that of ZF2001 and 2.0-fold that of intramuscular Ad5-nCoV. Similarly, the aerosolized Ad5-nCoV booster produced the greatest IFN{gamma} T-cell response at day 14 after booster vaccination. The IFN{gamma} T-cell response to aerosolized Ad5-nCoV was 12.8-fold for CoronaVac, 16.5-fold for ZF2001, and 5.0-fold for intramuscular Ad5-nCoV. Aerosolized Ad5-nCoV booster also produced the greatest spike-specific B cell response. Our findings suggest that inactivated vaccine recipients should consider adenovirus-vectored vaccine boosters in China and that aerosolized Ad5-nCoV may provide a more efficient alternative in response to the spread of the Omicron variant.

Impact of various vaccine boosters on neutralization against Omicron following prime vaccinations with inactivated or adenovirus-vectored vaccine

Since the first report on November 24, 2021, the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant is now overwhelmingly spreading across the world. Two SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccines (IAVs), one recombinant protein subunit vaccine (PRV), and one adenovirus-vectored vaccine (AdV) have been widely administrated in many countries including China to pursue herd immunity. Here we investigated cross-neutralizing activities in 341 human serum specimens elicited by full-course vaccinations with IAV, PRV and AdV, and by various vaccine boosters following prime IAV and AdV vaccinations. We found that all types of vaccines induced significantly lower neutralizing antibody titers against the Omicron variant than against the prototype strain. For prime vaccinations with IAV and AdV, heterologous boosters with AdV and PRV, respectively, elevated serum Omicron-neutralizing activities to the highest degrees. In a mouse model, we further demonstrated that among a series of variant-derived RBD-encoding mRNA vaccine boosters, it is only the Omicron booster that significantly enhanced Omicron neutralizing antibody titers compared with the prototype booster following a prime immunization with a prototype S-encoding mRNA vaccine candidate. In summary, our systematical investigations of various vaccine boosters inform potential booster administrations in the future to combat the Omicron variant.

Discussion on Treatment of Diarrhea of Intestinal Dampness-heat Syndrome and of Cold-dampness Disturbing Spleen Syndrome with Different Methods： Based on Intestinal Microbiota Function / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo study the changes of microbiota in different intestinal niches in the instance of diarrhea with intestinal dampness-heat syndrome and cold-dampness disturbing spleen syndrome， so as to provide objective evidence for treating diarrhea with different methods from the perspective of intestinal flora. MethodThe 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing data of model mice with diarrhea of the two syndromes and the model mice after prescription intervention were retrieved from National Center for Biotechnology Information （NCBI）， and the intestinal dominant bacteria and microbial functions were compared among groups. Spearman's correlation coefficient among the microorganisms in each group was calculated and the co-occurrence networks of intestinal microbiota were constructed to study the interaction of the microbiota. ResultThe microbiota imbalance in intestinal contents of mice with diarrhea of intestinal dampness-heat syndrome was characterized by the enrichment of Muribaculum and Aerococcus， while the imbalance in intestinal mucosa was manifested by the enrichment of Gram-negative Neisseria， Capnocytophaga， and Prevotella （P<0.05）. However， after the treatment with Gegen Qinliantang， the microbiota in two distinct ecosystems was characterized by the enrichment of Lactobacillus and the abundance of Streptococcus in intestinal mucosa was increased. The microbiota imbalance in intestinal contents of diarrhea with cold-dampness disturbing spleen syndrome was characterized by the enrichment of Lactobacillus （P<0.01） and Clostridium sensu stricto 1， while the intestinal mucosa was dominated by the increase of Candidatus arthromitus and Enterobacter. However， after the treatment with Huoxiang Zhengqi powder， the intestinal contents were characterized by Lactobacillus enrichment， while the intestinal mucosal flora was featured by the enrichment of C. arthromitus， Pseudomonas， and Bacillus. Overall， the contribution of dominant bacteria in intestinal mucosa to the difference was higher than that in intestinal contents， and more dominant bacteria in the intestinal mucosa interacted with other bacteria. ConclusionMicrobiota imbalance is different for diarrhea of different syndromes， and the therapeutic effects of corresponding prescriptions are also different. In addition， the microbiota imbalance has different characteristics between intestinal niches for mice with diarrhea of the same syndrome. Therefore， intestinal flora may be one of the biological bases for exploring the characteristics of "treating the diarrhea with different methods" in Chinese medicine.

Integrated characterization of SARS-CoV-2 genome, microbiome, antibiotic resistance and host response from single throat swabs

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, poses a severe threat to humanity. Rapid and comprehensive analysis of both pathogen and host sequencing data is critical to track infection and inform therapies. In this study, we performed unbiased metatranscriptomic analysis of clinical samples from COVID-19 patients using a newly-developed RNA-seq library construction method (TRACE-seq), which utilizes tagmentation activity of Tn5 on RNA/DNA hybrids. This approach avoids the laborious and time-consuming steps in traditional RNA-seq procedure, and hence is fast, sensitive and convenient. We demonstrated that TRACE-seq allowed integrated characterization of full genome information of SARS-CoV-2, putative pathogens causing coinfection, antibiotic resistance and host response from single throat swabs. We believe that the integrated information will deepen our understanding of pathogenesis and improve diagnostic accuracy for infectious diseases.

JNK/c-Jun signaling pathway mediates arginine vasopressin neuron regeneration by promoting cytoskeleton reconstruction in rats with electrical lesions of the pituitary stalk / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the mechanism by which doublecortin promotes the recovery of cytoskeleton in arginine vasopressin (AVP) neurons in rats with electrical lesions of the pituitary stalk (PEL).@*METHODS@#Thirty-two SD rats were randomized into PEL group with electrical lesions of the pituitary stalk through the floor of the skull base (=25) and sham operation group (=7), and the daily water consumption (DWC), daily urine volume (DUV) and urine specific gravity (USG) of the rats were recorded. Four rats on day 1 and 7 rats on each of days 3, 7 and 14 after PEL as well as the sham-operated rats were sacrificed for detection of the expressions of β-Tubulin (Tuj1), doublecortin and caspase- 3 in the AVP neurons of the supraoptic nucleus using immunofluorescence assay and Western blotting.@*RESULTS@#After PEL, the rats exhibited a typical triphasic pattern of diabetes insipidus, with the postoperative days 1-2 as the phase one, days 3-5 as the phase two, and days 6-14 as the phase three. Immunofluorescent results indicated the repair of the AVP neurons evidenced by significantly increased doublecortin expressions in the AVP neurons following PEL; similarly, the expression of Tuj1 also increased progressively after PEL, reaching the peak level on day 7 after PEL. The apoptotic rates of the AVP neurons exhibited a reverse pattern of variation, peaking on postoperative day 3 followed by progressive reduction till day 14. Western blotting showed that the expressions of c-Jun and p-c-Jun were up-regulated significantly on day 3 ( < 0.05) and 7 ( < 0.01) after PEL, while an upregulated p-JNK expression was detected only on day 3 ( < 0.05), as was consistent with the time-courses of neuronal recovery and apoptosis after PEL.@*CONCLUSIONS@#JNK/c-Jun pathway is activated after PEL to induce apoptosis of AVP neurons in the acute phase and to promote the repair of neuronal cytoskeleton by up-regulation of doublecortin and Tuj1 expressions.

Clinical study of heart-type fatty acid binding protein for risk stratification and prognosis assessment of early cardiac troponin T-negative acute coronary syndrome patients / 中华老年医学杂志

Objective To examine the practical value of early detection of heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP)for risk stratification and prognosis assessment in cardiac troponin T (cTnT)-negative acute coronary syndrome(ACS)patients.Methods From March 2010 to March 2012,55 patients with chest pain and negative cTnT were selected from 232 ACS patients at the General Hospital of PLA.Expression levels of cTnT and H-FABP were detected within 6 h of the onset of clinical symptoms.H-FABP and cTnT values at 12,24,and 48 h from the onset of clinical symptoms were continuously measured to monitor the dynamic changes.Based on prognosis,patients were divided into two groups,levels of H-FABP were compared,and its predictive value for prognosis was assessed with the ROC curve.Results Within 6 h of the onset of clinical symptoms,cTnT levels in cTnT-negative ACS patients increased gradually as disease progressed and reached the peak value at 12 h before decreasing slowly and arriving at 50％ of the peak value at 48 h.Meanwhile,HFABP levels reached the peak within 6 h,decreased slightly(12.8％) at 12 h,and then decreased rapidly at 48 h (about 79％).Of 55 patients,24 had acute myocardial infarction during hospitalization.The H-FABP level within 6 h was a good predictor for cTnT-negative ACS patients.The area under ROC curve was 0.946 and the cutoff value was 15.47 μg/L.The prediction sensitivity was 87.5 ％,with a specificity of 90.3％.Eleven patients had cardiovascular events after a 12-month follow-up.Levels of H-FABP were different in patients with or without cardiovascular events,[(38.08±8.43) μg/L vs.(18.96 ± 2.85) μg/L (t =2.438,P＜0.05)].ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve was 0.772 and the prediction cutoff value was 44.71 μg/L.The rates of cardiovascular events were markedly different between patients with high(≥44.71 μg/L)and those with 1ow(＜44.71 μg/L)H-FABP levels(54.5％ vs.11.4％).Conclusions For ACS patients with negative cTnT,H-FABP is a good index for early risk stratification and prognosis assessment.

Thoracic vertebroplasty guided by a self-designed sight / 中华创伤骨科杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of our self-designed sight used to guide thoracic vertebroplasty.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted of the 52 patients (70 thoracic vertebrae) who had undergone percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) (n =36)or percataneous kyphoplasty (PKP) (n =34) of T1-T4 vertebral bodies at Department of Orthopaedics,The First Affiliated Hospital to Zhengzhou University form August 2012 to October 2013.The operation time,intraoperative bleeding,intraoperative radiation by C-arm roentgenography,and visual analogue scale (VAS) were compared between the patients whose surgery had been guided by our self-designed sight and those whose surgery had been not.Results All the patients were followed up for 18 to 36 months (average,22.3 months).Compared with those who had not used the sight,the patients who had used the sight incurred significantly shorter operation time (16.5 ± 3.2 min versus 26.5 ± 3.7 min),significantly less intraoperative bleeding (2.8 ± 1.3 mL versus 6.3 ± 1.7 mL) and significantly less radiation by C-arm roentgenography (5.6 ± 3.3 times versus 9.4 ± 3.1 times) (P ＜0.05).The VAS scores at postoperative 3 days and final follow-up were significantly decreased than the preoperative values in all the patients (P ＜ 0.05).There were no significant differences between the patients who had used the sight and those who had not in the the VAS scores at postoperative 3 days or final follow-up (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions The upper thoracic PVP or PKP guided by our self-designed sight has theadvantages of short operation time,less intraoperative bleeding and less frequency of C-arm radiation.The sight is suitable for various vertebroplasties.

Comparison of transparent effects of six different optical clearing methods on rat brain tissues / 中国比较医学杂志

Objective To compare the transparency efficiency of six different optical clearing method on the rat brain tissues. Methods Brain tissue blocks of 14 SD rats were processed with iDISCO, SeeDB, CUBIC, SCALEVIEW-A2,CLARITY-CUBIC, Passive-CLARITY clearing method, respectively. Results The gray value of PBS group was 13.031 ± 0.586,that of iDISCO,SeeDB,CUBIC,SCALEVIEW-A2,CLARITY-CUBIC,passive-CLARITY clearing were 6.447 ± 0.574,11.690 ± 0.909,2.318 ± 0.986,8.118 ± 1.026,8.591 ± 0.384,4.198 ± 0.182, respectively. Except the SeeDB group(P=0.185),the rest groups showed significant differences compared with the PBS group(P< 0.01), and there were significant differences between CUBIC and other groups(P < 0.01). After the clearing treatment, the changes of tissue area ratio in the iDISCO, SeeDB, CUBIC, SCALEVIEW-A2, CLARITY-CUBIC, Passive-CLARITY method were(-30.02 ± 2.39)%,(19.74 ± 4.09)%,(14.7 ± 3.92)%,(10.7 ± 5.55)%,(23.01 ± 4.19)%,(66.51 ± 5.68)%,respectively. Each group showed a significant difference compared with the groups iDISCO and the Passive-CLARITY,P< 0.01. Conclusions Except the SeeDB method,all the clearing methods can achieve a transparent effect, while CUBIC is better than the other groups applied for rat brain tissues. The tissue block volume is shrunken after iDISCO clearing,and expanded after Passive-CLARITY processing.

Efficacy Observation of Qianliexin Combined with Tamsulosin Hydrochloride and Finasteride in the Treatment of Elderly Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE:To observe the clinical efficacy of qianliexin combined with tamsulosin hydrochloride and finasteride in the treatment of elderly benign prostatic hyperplasia.METHODS:Ninety-four patients diagnosed as benign prostatic hyperplasia in our hospital during May.2012-Oct.2014 were selected and divided into observation group (48 cases) and control group (46 cases) according to even and odd admission number.Both groups received Finasteride tablet 5 mg,po,qd.Basedon this,control group was additionally given Tamsulosin hydrochloride sustained-release capsules 0.2 mg,po,qd;observation group was additionally given Qianliexin capsules 2.5 g,po,tid,on the basis of control group.Clinical efficacies of 2 groups were observed as well as IPSS,BS,IIEF-5 score,ultrasonic measurement indexes and TCM syndrome score before and after treatment.RESULTS:Clinical total response rate of observation group was 93.75％,which was significantly higher than 76.09％ of control group,with statistical significance (P＜0.05).Before treatment,there was no statistical significance in IPSS,BS,IIEF-5 score,ultrasonic measurement indexes and TCM syndrome score between 2 groups (P＞0.05).After treatment,IPSS and BS score,prostate volume (PV),residual urine(RU),each item score and total score of TCM syndrome were significantly decreased in 2 groups,while IIEF-5 score and Qmax were increased significantly;the observation group was significantly better than the control group,with statistical significance (P＜0.05).CONCLUSIONS:Qianliexin combined with tamsulosin hydrochloride and finasteride shows significant therapeutic effi cacy for elderly benign prostatic hyperplasia,and is helpful to improve prostate symptoms and TCM syndromes,reduce PV and RU,and improve sexual function.

Establishment of Universal Quantitative Models for the Determination of Pefloxacin Mesylate for Injection by Near-infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy / 中国药师

Objective:To develop a method of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy ( NIRS) for the rapid determination of peflox-acin mesylate for injection .Methods:The quantitative models were established by the collection of NIR spectra of pefloxacin mesylate for injection.The spectra were pretreated with the methods of vector normalization , and the spectral ranges of 9 176.2-8 169.5 cm-1 , 6 051.9-5 716.3 cm-1 and 4 509-3 999.9 cm-1 were chosen.The partial least square (PLS) was used as the regression method .Re-sults:The prediction model was established by the internal cross validation ,and the concentration range was 7.55%-77.69%.The root mean square error of cross validation (RMSECV) was 1.61%, and the correlation coefficient was 0.992 4.Conclusion: The method of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy can be used for the rapid quantitative analysis of pefloxacin mesylate for injection .

Efficacy Observation of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy Combined Use Paishi Decoction in the Treatment of Kidney Stone / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE:To observe clinical efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy combined with Paishi decoction in the treatment of kidney stone. METHODS:160 patients with kidney stone were selected and randomly divided into observation group and control group,with 80 cases in each group. Control group only received HB-ESWL-VG extracorporeal shock wave litho-tripsy;observation group additionally received Paishi decoction 300 ml,tid,for consecutive 1 week,on the basis of control group. Clinical efficacy was observed in 2 groups;the levels of serum inflammatory factor IL-2,IL-6,TNF-α,T lymphocyte subset CD3+,CD4+,CD8+ and CD4+/CD8+,erythrocyte immune function indicator C3b receptor rosette(C3bRR),immunity complex ro-sette(ICR)and tumor erythrocyte rosette(TER)level were detected in 2 groups before and after treatment. RESULTS:The effec-tive rate of observation group(98.75%)was significantly higher than that of control group(91.25%),with statistical significance (P0.05). CONCLUSIONS:The extracor-poreal shock wave lithotripsy combined with Paishi decoction can relieve inflammation reaction,enhance immune function and im-prove therapeutic efficacy.

Effect of DNase I on biofilm formation of Staphylococcus aureus / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of DNase I on biofilm formation of Staphylococcus aureus.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The growth curve of S. aureus was detected using a spectrophotometer. The adhesion of S. aureus was analyzed using flat colony counting method, and the biofilm formation was assayed using the 96-well crystal violet staining method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Exposure to different concentrations of DNase I did not obviously affect the growth of S. aureus but significantly inhibit the formation of bacterial biofilms in a dose-dependent manner. DNase I inhibited the adhesion of S. aureus at different growth stages. When combined with antibiotics, DNase I resulted in a signi?cant decrease in the established bio?lm biomass compared to antibiotics or DNase I used alone.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>DNase I can effectively inhibit biofilm formation of S. aureus and enhance the inhibitory effect of antibiotics against S. aureus biofilms.</p>

Sanhuangyinchi decoction pretreatment ameliorates acute hepatic failure in rats by suppressing antioxidant stress and caspase-3 expression / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effects of Sanhuangyinchi decoction (SHYCD) pretreatment on acute hepatic failure (AHF) induced by D-galactosamine and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in rats and explore the possible mechanisms involving antioxidant stress and cell apoptosis-related protein expression.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-eight SD rats were randomized equally into control group, AHF model group, high-, medium- and low-dose SHYCD groups, and Bicyclol group. Five days after administration of the corresponding drugs, the rats were challenged with peritoneal D-galactosamine (700 mg/kg) plus LPS (10 ug/kg) injections to induce AHF acute hepatic failure except for those in the control group. At 48 h after the injections, blood samples were collected from the rats to detect the levels of ALT, AST, TBIL, PT, INR and FIB, and pathological changes and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in the liver were examined; immunohistochemistry and western blotting were used to detect caspase-3 protein expression in the liver.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The levels of ALT, AST, TBIL, TP and INR in the 3 SHYCD groups and Bicyclol group significantly decreased (P<0.05) while FIB significantly increased in comparison with those in the model group. SHYCD obviously ameliorated the pathological changes, enhanced SOD activity (P<0.05), and decreased MDA levels (P<0.05) and caspase-3 expression (P<0.05) in the liver tissue. SHYCD at the medium dose produced similar effects to Bicyclol (P>0.05) and showed better effects at the high dose than Bicyclol (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>SHYCD pretreatment can dose-dependently ameliorate AHF in rats possibly by suppressing antioxidant stress and caspase-3 expression to decrease hepatic cell apoptosis.</p>

Evaluation of a heart-type fatty acid-binding protein detection kit for diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluation the performance of a heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) ELISA detection kit in the clinical diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Plasma or serum samples from 160 suspected ACS patients hospitalized in General Hospital of PLA were examined using Lanzhou H-FABP reagent kit and Holland H-FABP kit. Correlation of the two kits was evaluated and Kappa test was used to examine the consistency of the results of the two products.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The sensitivity of H-FABP diagnosis of ACS detection Lanzhou kit was 91.8%, the specificity was 88.7%, and the total diagnostic rate was 90.42%. The sensitivity of H-FABP diagnosis of ACS detection Holland kit was 90.3%, the specificity was 86.8%, and the total diagnostic rate was 88.75%. The test results showed that two products yielded comparable results (P=0.668, >0.05) with a good consistency (Kappa=0.726, P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>H-FABP ELISA detection kit produccted by LanZhou biological research institute has a good correlation with H-FABP detection kit produced by HBT company of Holland and has the potential for clinical application.</p>

Model Establishment and Coagulation Changes in Rats with Acute Liver Failure / 世界科学技术-中医药现代化

This study was aimed to observe effects of different doses of D-galactosamine (D-GalN) plus lipopoly-saccharide (LPS) and blood coagulation changes among rat model of acute liver failure, in order to establish an ideal model of acute liver failure in rats. SD rats were randomly divided into the control group, D-GalN high, medium and low dose groups, with 10 rats in each group. Except the normal group, rats in other groups were injected with D-GalN plus LPS at different doses to induce acute liver failure. The mortality of rats was observed. The liver function and blood coagulation were detected from rat serum at 0 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h. HE stain was used in the observa-tion of changes on liver pathological changes. The results showed that the mortality of D-GalN high, medium and low dose groups within 72 h were 60%, 30%, 10%, respectively. There were significant differences on the serum content level of ALT, AST, TBIL, PT, INR, FIB from different dose groups at different time points and the normal group (P<0.05). However, the comparison among D-GalN high, medium and low dose groups showed no statistical difference on ALT and AST; while there were statistical differences on TBIL, PT, INR and FIB (P < 0.05). It was concluded that coagulation index was more stable in the liver failure model. Through observation on the liver function, blood coagulation and pathological morphology, the model of acute liver failure induced with medium dose of D-GalN plus LPS in SD rats at 48 h was more similar to the clinical symptom of acute liver failure. Therefore, the medium dose was the ideal model inducing dose.

Apigenin up-regulates transgelin and inhibits invasion and migration of colorectal cancer through decreased phosphorylation of AKT.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Apigenin is a flavonoid that possesses various clinically relevant properties such as anti-tumour, anti-platelet and anti-inflammatory activities. Our results showed that apigenin has anti-proliferation, anti-invasion and anti-migration effects in three kinds of colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines, namely SW480, DLD-1 and LS174T. Proteomic analysis with SW480 indicated that apigenin up-regulated the expression of transgelin (TAGLN) in mitochondria to exert its anti-tumour growth and anti-metastasis effects. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR) and western blot confirm the up-regulation in all the three colorectal adenocarcinoma cells. An inverse correlation was observed between TAGLN expression and CRC metastasis in tissue microarray staining. TAGLN siRNA increased the viability of SW480. Apigenin decreased the expression of MMP-9 in a dose-dependent manner. Transfection of three truncated forms of TAGLN and wild type has identified TAGLN as a repressor of MMP-9 expression. A synergetic effect was observed in overexpression of TAGLN wild type and apigenin treatment which manifested as lowered phosphorylation of AKT Ser473 and ATK Thr308. In an orthotopic CRC model, apigenin inhibited tumour growth and metastasis to liver and lung. In conclusion, our research provided direct evidence that apigenin inhibited tumour growth and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. Apigenin up-regulated TAGLN and hence down-regulated MMP-9 expression through decreasing phosphorylation of Akt at Ser473 and in particular Thr308 to prevent cell proliferation and migration.

Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 down-regulates LASP1 and up-regulates ferritin during osteogenic differentiation of beagle dog bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To identify the proteins involved in osteogenic differentiation of beagle dog bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and explore its possible regulation mechanism of osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Cultured beagle dog BMSCs were induced by recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) for 7 days. The differentially expressed proteins between cells with osteogenic differentiation and control cells were identified by proteomics analysis based on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Q-PCR and Western blotting were used to verify the interested protein of LASP1, ferritin light chain and heavy chain.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Osteogenic differentiation was induced successfully in the BMSCs. Twenty differentially expressed proteins were identified by proteomic analysis, including 9 down-regulated and 11 up-regulated ones. Q-PCR and Western blotting demonstrated a significant reduction of LASP1 expression and significant up-regulation of ferritin in the BMSCs after a 7-day induction with rhBMP-2.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>LASP1, which plays an important role in the regulation of the activity of the cytoskeleton, and ferritin, an important molecule in cellular iron homeostasis, can be critical in the osteogenic differentiation of beagle dog BMSCs induced by rhBMP-2.</p>

The research of skin imaging technology with high frequency ultrasound / 中国医疗器械杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Developing a high-frequency ultrasonic skin imaging system to obtain the high resolution ultrasonic image of the skin. And further analyzing the ultrasonic images of skin to explore the imaging characteristics of skin structure and then explore the value of high-frequency imaging in the application of skin diagnosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>50 MHz single element ultrasonic transducer, mechanic linear scanning method is used in the imaging system. The resolution and the ability of recognize the skin issue is verified by linear target scanning and clinical trials.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Both the axial and lateral resolution of the system reaches 50 microm. The subtle structure of normal skin tissue is clearly visible. Some diseases have obvious appearance in the image.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>50 MHz ultrasonic skin imaging system is of high resolution and is valuable to skin structure detect and disease diagnosis.</p>